A Class VIII student of a reputable south Calcutta school was found lying in a pool of blood in the compound of his New Alipore apartment on Saturday afternoon, police said.

The boy was taken to a private hospital nearby around 3.30pm where he died of injures around 4.30pm, a senior Kolkata Police officer said.

According to security guards of the apartment, they heard a thud and went towards the source to check it. They found the boy lying on the ground. Residents alerted his family members.

According to the police officer, neighbours told them that the boy was last seen heading to the terrace of the eight-storey building.

“Residents of the building told us that the boy was headed to the terrace. Later, they were alerted by security guards that he was lying in the common area of the building,” said the officer.

A case of unnatural death has been started at the New Alipore police station.

CCTV footage from the building’s cameras has been collected, the police officer said.

“We want to determine the sequence of events leading to the boy’s death. We have started a case of unnatural death and are probing it from every angle,” said the officer.

At his school, teachers remembered the boy as cheerful and cooperative.

“He was an NCC cadet. He was well-mannered. He attended school on Friday,” said a teacher at his school.

The body has been sent for post-mortem to ascertain the exact cause of death.

No police complaint was lodged till late on Monday, police sources said.